QRxPharma (ASX:QRX) has ceased development of dual-opioid drug MoxDuo, after the board decided that the cost of additional trials sure to be required for US approval could not be justified. [ + ]

Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane let his discretion slip this week in a speech to the Queensland Media Club when foreshadowing an upcoming report on research funding and competition. Distancing himself from the awarding of funding based on prior researcher publications, he signalled a distinctly different approach that is likely to inform policy in the near future. [ + ]

This is a transcript of the 2014 Jack Beale Lecture on the Global Environment, hosted at the University of New South Wales. [ + ]

CSL (ASX:CSL) has reported an 8% growth in FY14 profit, despite the impact of a legal settlement and a decline in sales at its bioCSL division. [ + ]

The Global Alliance for Genomics and Health has announced a new application programming interface that will allow DNA data providers and consumers to better share information and work together on a global scale. [ + ]

Additive manufacturing and 3D printing technology have a lot to offer makers of biomedical devices. [ + ]

Phosphagenics (ASX:POH) achieved encouraging results from the first of two planned IND-enabling phase I trials of pain patch TPM/oxymorphone. [ + ]

Scientists from IBM have unveiled the first neurosynaptic computer chip to achieve an unprecedented scale of 1 million programmable spiking neurons, 256 million programmable synapses and 46 billion synaptic operations per second per watt. [ + ]

Clinuvel (ASX:CUV) has declined a takeover bid from US-based Retrophin, with the board electing to focus the company's efforts on pursuing EMA approval for Scenesse in skin condition EPP. [ + ]

Professor Mark Hogarth has spent most of his career studying the role of Fc receptors in inflammatory and auto-immune disorders. Found on the surface of a variety of immune cells, these antibody-binding receptors are now prospective targets for new treatments of inflammation, therapeutic monoclonal antibodies in cancer and manipulation in vaccines for HIV-AIDS. [ + ]

The Australian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association has provided a submission to the Senate Economics References Committee's inquiry into Australia's innovation system, claiming Australia is in urgent need of a new national innovation policy to ensure we have a highly dynamic and modern economy in the future. [ + ]

X-ray tube supplier AXT has been competitively selected to provide a Tescan Integrated Minerals Analyser (TIMA) to the John de Laeter Centre (JDLC) at Curtin University in Western Australia. [ + ]

Cochlear (ASX:COH) grew its 2H14 profit by 32% and sales by 28% as the company launched new additions to each of its product categories. [ + ]

Pharmaxis (ASX:PXS) is taking NovaQuest to court, seeking a reinstatement of the US$40 million financing arrangement covering commercialisation of Bronchitol in the EU and US. [ + ]

The European Society For Medical Oncology (ESMO) has expressed concern that the proposed EU General Data Protection Regulation could make cancer research impossible and add a significant burden to both doctors and cancer patients. [ + ]